Jerry Reynolds is usually the one giving out the awards. An original employee of the Sacramento Kings organization, he is the club's utility man. He has done everything from coach the team to run the Monarchs, and more often than anyone else, has represented the franchise at civic and charity functions. And as everyone who knows Jerry will attest, he is one of the wittiest people around, a walking, talking soundbite. (He has long been a favorite of NBA writers, never failing to provide a fitting quip).
But last night it was his turn to be the center of attention. Reynolds, who suffers from diabetes, was honored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at the Sheraton Hotel. And here's the best part: Officials with the Foundation surprised Reynolds by flying in his brother, Randy, from their native French Lick, Ind., to present the award. (Randy has had diabetes since age nine). According to Kings radio analyst Fat Lever, Jerry was overwhelmed, and of course, delighted. Before last night's game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Reynolds brothers mingled in the press room, where Randy Reynolds dropped another surprise: Until he flew into Sacramento on Thursday, he had never been on a plane.
"No, never," he said, when asked to repeat himself. And then he laughed. If you closed your eyes, you would swear you were listening to Jerry.
Anyway, congrats to JR. There isn't a more gracious or generous person in the league. After all these years - he came from Kansas City with the Kings in 1985 - he's a keeper.
Cuban weighs in on Nellie
I caught up with Mavs owner Mark Cuban after the game while he was rebounding shots hoisted by a long line of youngsters. That's another reason he's one of my favorites. Another is the fact that he always tells you what he really thinks. Cuban doesn't have a censor, which is sort of funny, since his famously estranged head coach Don Nelson doesn't, either. So, of course, I had to ask Mark for his thoughts on Nelson's recent feat, surpassing Lenny Wilkens' record for career coaching victories with No. 1,333, and whether the twice-snubbed Nellie belongs in the Hall of Fame. Can't really say I was surprised by his answers, only by the enthusiasm of his response.
"Oh, yeah," Cuban said. "Nellie changed the game. Point forward, matchups, small ball, there were so many different elements that he doesn't really get credit for. So, he and I had our disagreements, but more on the general management side than the coaching side. But I think as a coach, there's no question he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Hey, look, when he was with us, no one wanted to coach against him. That's really the true test. If you ask coaches, 'do you want to play against Nellie's teams?' and no one ever did."
A few final thoughts on Lenny Wilkens
I admit to feeling a few pangs the other night when Nelson eclipsed Wilkens' record, mainly because I think the world of Lenny. I was the NBA writer in Atlanta when he moved past the late Red Auerbach for the most coaching victories in 1995, and spent hours with both men as the date neared. I even endured an afternoon inhaling Red's cigar smoke in his office in Washington, D.C. - cough, cough - and have to say, it was a fascinating interview session. Red was an NBA encyclopedia, and a great storyteller. Any time you wanted to talk hoops, all you had to do was catch up with him at the Boston Garden or call his house in D.C. He was listed in the phone book, believe it or not, and not only took the calls, but would spend hours chatting about anything and everything. He was quite the character, and he was a big fan of Wilkens - whom he repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to trade for. And, of course, he coached Nelson on five championship teams.
One thing that always bothered me: The night Wilkens claimed the record, the Hawks' previous marketing regime did almost nothing to sell out the old Omni. There were fewer than 13,000 fans in attendance when Lenny lit a cigar, in honor of Auerbach. I don't care if the Hawks had to give away tickets and transport school kids to the game. That place should have been packed.
As a final aside: Since I started covering the NBA in 1981, these are the three coaches I would want drawing up the plays for a final, game-winning or tying possession: Larry Brown, Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson.
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